Swami Vivekananda’s First US Life-Size Statue Unveiled In Seattle
Swami Vivekananda’s First US Life-Size Statue Unveiled In Seattle
Swami Vivekananda’s First US Life-Size Statue Unveiled In Seattle
Seattle unveils the United States' first life-size statue of Swami Vivekananda in Westlake Square, a symbol of cultural inclusion, unveiled by Mayor Katie Wilson and India's Consul General Prakash Gupta.
The city of Seattle was the place where the first-ever life-size statue of Swami Vivekananda in the US was unveiled on Saturday. The life-size bronze statue, the first of its kind ever to be installed by a city government in the US, is placed in a busy downtown Seattle location, Westlake Square.
The statue was created by Indian sculptor Naresh Kumar Kumawat and the unveiling of the statue was done by Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and the Indian Consul General in Seattle, Prakash Gupta.
From Chicago 1893 to Seattle 2026! The skyline of Seattle now has an Indian icon, Swami Vivekananda! The Consulate General of India in Seattle announced in one of its social media posts that the City of Seattle was the first city government to accommodate the Swami Vivekananda Monument in downtown Seattle.
In his speech about the event, Wilson mentioned that the monument captures the spirit of inclusion in Seattle and reinforces cultural connections between India and the diverse metro tech powerhouse in the US Pacific Northwest.
The Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) gifted the statue to the City of Seattle in honour of the city’s diverse multicultural nature and culture of inclusion, the Indian mission in Seattle said in a statement.
The unveiling of the statue was on the ICCR Day and is part of the larger cultural diplomacy efforts of India to enhance people-to-people relations between India and the US Pacific Northwest, the Consulate said.
The monument is located in the busy Westlake Square, which accommodates more than 400,000 people every day. It is situated close to some major landmarks such as the Amazon headquarters Spheres, the Seattle Convention Centre, and the Seattle Centre Monorail.
There were several local leaders who were present during the ceremony, like mayors of the cities located in the Greater Seattle area, community representatives, and members of the Indian-American diaspora. His historic address was given at the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 by Swami Vivekananda, introducing Hindu philosophy to the world.
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